Trains between Milton Keynes and Northampton reopen as £26m rail project is complete
Milton Keynes passengers are set to benefit from the opening of Hanslope Junction as the £26m upgrade works come to an end on one of the busiest local railway tracks.
Over 14 days from Christmas Eve, four railway lines along a mile-long section of track between Milton Keynes and Northampton were replaced. The move saw two weeks of closures, but aimed to improve future journeys for passengers and freight on the West Coast Main Line.
Network Rail and its partner Central Rail Systems Alliance spent nearly a year planning and preparing for the work at Hanslope junction, which is used by up to 500 trains per day.
Hundreds of workers replaced 130 track panels across the junction - described as Britain's biggest Christmas jigsaw. They also renewed the foundation stone known as ballast below the track, and overhauled points, switches and crossings.
Today (Monday, January 5) saw the first trains travelling over the modernised infrastructure shortly after all lines reopened at 4am.
The project was just one of many journey-improving upgrades between London and Cumbria over the festive season.
During the 11 days of improvement work, teams made the most of the railway closure by completing additional projects on Network Rail’s West Coast South route, including:
- Milton Keynes Central station – Platform 4 renewal
- A £3.66m project to replace concrete planks and fix uneven surfaces, improving safety and structural integrity.
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- Wolverton station – Platforms 3 & 4 resurfacing
- Investing over £2m to upgrade platform surfaces and improving stepping distances between train and platform.
- Track renewal near Roade
- An investment of almost £600,000 to upgrade the track near Roade, including the installation of over 1,500 metres of new rail.
- Newport Bridge, Stafford
- Part of a £5.4m upgrade to the bridge carrying the A518 over the railway, providing a safer bridge and better road for the people of Stafford.
The Christmas and New Year work has seen a combined investment of nearly £200m on the West Coast Main Line. It forms part of a much larger £400m investment over the next four years.
Christian Irwin OBE, Network Rail North West and Central region Capital Delivery director, said: “We are investing hundreds of millions of pounds to improve future journeys on the West Coast Main Line and these latest projects will make real differences to passenger and freight journeys.
"We would like to thank passengers for their patience during our work at Hanslope, Milton Keynes and Wolverton stations, and also across the wider network this festive season. With our major bridge renewal in Cumbria continuing until 15 January, we’d like to remind people to check before they travel while we make the railway fit for the future."
Jonny Wiseman, customer experience director for London Northwestern Railway, said: “We are grateful for our passengers' patience while Network Rail carried out these essential engineering works to futureproof our railway. We’re pleased the line has now reopened as planned and our normal timetable is now back in operation.”
Back at Hanslope in the coming weeks, routine follow up work will take place on Sunday, January 11 and 25. The move will secure the new railway founding stone through a process called tamping, as well as some additional drainage work. There will be no trains between Milton Keynes and Northampton/Rugby on those two Sundays.